[Updated 11:11 p.m. ET] Hurricane Isaac is "producing a dangerous storm surge" along the northern Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. ET update. Flooding from heavy rainfall will follow the storm surge, the NHC said.

At 11 p.m. ET, the storm's center of circulation was about 75 southeast of Houma, Louisiana, or 75 miles south-southeast of New Orleans, still moving at 8 mph with 80 mph maximum sustained winds.

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[Updated 10:45 p.m. ET] Tropical Depression 11 rapidly intensified Tuesday evening and became the 11th named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Kirk, the National Hurricane Center said. Kirk is located in the middle Atlantic and is not likely to become a threat to land.

[Updated 10:40 p.m. ET] Utility companies in four states report more than 200,000 customers have lost power because of Hurricane Isaac, all but 1,000 of them in Louisiana.

[Updated 10:31 p.m. ET] The Salvation Army has 24 mobile feeding units (canteens), a fully equipped 54-foot field kitchen, and up to 60 personnel staged in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and elsewhere. These units have a combined daily feeding capacity of more than 31,000 meals, the organization says.

[Updated 10:08 p.m. ET] CNNWeather meteorologist Jim Hennen says that unlike many other hurricanes that move inland and weaken quickly, Isaac could actually strengthen over the Louisiana bayou and hold its intensity as a hurricane through much of the night. It should begin to slowly lose intensity later tonight as it moves farther inland.

Storm surge will continue to be a threat through the night, and flooding is likely to be a major problem as the storm slows as it tracks inland, Hennen says. Up to 20 inches of rain will fall over the Gulf Coast region in the coming days.

Storm surge flooding of up to 12 feet will continue through evening, before diminishing overnight. The peak storm surge and winds will occur in New Orleans from now until daybreak tomorrow, and than will begin to slowly subside.

The storm will also make a direct hit on Baton Rouge late Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Expect power outages to spread overnight as the storm knocks down trees and utility lines.

Rain from the storm extends over 1,200 miles from the Texas-Louisiana line all the way to the Carolinas.

Over the next several days the remnants of Isaac will move slowly northward, bringing widespread heavy rains of 4 to 6 inches to the exceptional drought areas from Arkansas into Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

[Updated 9:34 p.m. ET] A hurricane warning stretches from east of Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama line; it includes metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.

A tropical storm warning covers the Gulf Coast from the Mississippi-Alabama line to Destin, Florida. Warnings east and south of Destin have been discontinued.

A tropical storm watch is in effect from east of High Island, Texas, to just west of Cameron, Louisiana. A hurricane watch ranges from Intracoastal City to Morgan City, Louisiana.

[Updated 9:05 p.m. ET] Hurricane Isaac is moving slowly - about 8 mph - northwest along the coast of southeast Louisiana, and dangerous storm surge conditions continue all along the Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said in its 9 p.m. ET update.

The Category 1 hurricane still had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend 60 miles out from the center of the storm.

[Updated 8:46 p.m. ET] It's been seven years, but the scars and lessons of Hurricane Katrina are everywhere.

[Updated 8:28 p.m. ET] New Orleans residents should expect street and bridge closures due to flooding, but the city has no plans to impose a curfew, Mayor Mitch Landrieu says.

[Updated 8:24 p.m. ET] More than 100,000 Entergy Louisiana customers were without power around 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) Tuesday night due to the effects of Hurricane Isaac, the power company reported on its website.

[Updated 7:45 p.m. ET] The Army Corps of Engineers said it has closed the Bayou Verret floodgate in Louisiana and will close floodgates on Bayou Segnette on Wednesday morning because of strong wind and high tides associated with Hurricane Isaac, CNN affiliate WDSU reports.

The gates are closed when water in the canal reaches two feet above sea level and is rising, preventing surges from entering the canals. The Army Corps said the gates will remain closed until the threat from Isaac has passed.

Earlier, the Corps closed the Seabrook Floodgate Complex for the first time due to a storm event. The closure follows the closing of gates at the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (also known as the Industrial Canal) and Bayou Bienvenue earlier today.

The Seabrook Floodgate Complex is located at the north end of the Industrial Canal, just south of Lake Pontchartrain.

[Updated 7:16 p.m. ET] At 7 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center reported Hurricane Isaac was about 15 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River and 95 miles southeast of New Orleans. It was moving to the northwest at 8 mph and had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Winds of 74 mph or greater extend up to 60 miles out from the storm's eye.

Winds are significantly stronger at higher levels. A wind gust of 106 mph was reported at an oil rig off the Louisiana coast at an elevation of 279 feet - the equivalent of the 28th floor of a building, the NHC said.

Isaac is expected to strengthen slightly before making landfall sometime in the next few hours, then lose strength as it moves over land.

[Updated 6:50 p.m. ET] Florida isn't out of the woods yet, as outlying rain bands continue to sweep the state.

Curfews also are in place in the Louisiana towns of Baker and Zachary, WBRZ reports.

[Updated 5:53 p.m. ET]Florida Power and Light says it has restored power to almost all its customers affected by Isaac in Florida.

[Updated 5:43 p.m. ET] A pet shelter established in Alexandria, Louisiana, by the state Agriculture and Forestry Department is housing 20 dogs, six cats, one turtle and one guinea pig, CNN affiliate KNOE reports.

[Updated 5:32 p.m. ET] Additional shelters have opened for Mississippi residents evacuating their homes. Currently, 25 shelters are open around south and central Mississippi.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Robert Latham urged residents to stay with friends and family when possible, leaving public shelters available to those who have no other place to go.

[Updated 5:09 p.m. ET] Mayor Jeff Collier says power is out on Dauphin Island, Alabama, and won't be restored until at least late Thursday, after the weather over Mobile Bay calms down, CNN affiliate WKRG reports.

As of about 3 p.m. ET, 41 Wal-mart and Sam's Club stores in four states along the coast had closed, according to the company.

Pilots at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Florida, have moved the base's F-16 fighter jets to Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina and its F-15s to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. The base's F-35 joint strike fighters were moved into hangars to protect them from the storm.

Isaac's eye was about 30 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River and 105 miles south-southeast of New Orleans, with hurricane-force winds measured 60 miles out from its center.

[Updated 4:46 p.m. ET] Tropical Depression 11 formed in the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said. It appears to pose no threat to land at the moment.

[Updated 4:39 p.m. ET] The airports in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi; and Mobile, Alabama; are closed. Additionally, all Amtrak service into and out of New Orleans is suspended.

[Updated 2:56 p.m. ET] An outer rain band of Isaac has been sheared from the northeastern flank of the circulation and is moving very slowly over the Carolinas, hundreds of miles from the storm's center. As much as 3.5 inches of rain fell in just 90 minutes in Charleston, South Carolina, and is causing major flooding in some locations.

"We were stranded and had to be rescued ourselves," said Tracy Amick, spokesperson for Charleston County. "Our car had water coming through the doors. It's ridiculous right now. There are trash cans floating down the street, cars stuck, people trying to get through these flooded streets on bicycles ..."

A flash flood warning for Charleston has been extended until 5:30 p.m. ET as some roads have become impassible and flood waters will be very slow to recede with high tide approaching.

[Updated 2:42 p.m. ET] Extensive efforts have been made in the past seven years to better protect the New Orleans area from hurricane damage.

[Updated 2:13 p.m. ET Tuesday] In what appears to be the first reported case of looting associated with Isaac, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office says it has issued a summons for a Slidell, Louisiana, area man and is looking for two others, The Times-Picayune reports.

"If someone loots a business or home in St. Tammany Parish, the full force of this sheriff's office will be dedicated to finding them, putting them in jail, and making sure they are charged to the full extent of the law," Sheriff Jack Strain said in a news release.

[Updated at 1:50 p.m. ET Tuesday] The National Hurricane Center's 2 p.m. ET update says Isaac looks much the same as it did at 11:20 a.m. It remains a hurricane with winds of 75 mph.

It is now about about 55 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 135 miles southeast of New Orleans. It continues to move northwest at 10 mph.

A hurricane remains in effect from east of Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama border, and a hurricane watch is in effect between Morgan City and Intracoastal City, Louisiana, the hurricane center says.

[Updated 1:43 p.m. ET Tuesday] President Barack Obama has signed an emergency declaration for the state of Mississippi.

Gougers can be fined up to $1,000 and risk losing their business licenses, while looters could be slapped with a Class C felony, up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, WKRG reports.

“I urge our citizens to be cautious of those who would prey upon them through crimes such as price gouging, looting and home repair fraud. I warn the criminals that if they do so, they will be punished," Strange said.

[Updated 1:15 p.m. ET Tuesday] Angela Young, a resident of New Orleans East, which was hit particularly hard by Katrina and is still struggling to recover, says she has plenty of supplies - including food, batteries and non-perishable food - and intends to stay at home during Isaac.

She's paying special attention to announcements from parish officials and the mayor.

"They're saying that we're going to be OK, so I trust that we're going to be fine," she said.

"Our first priority is the safety of our citizens. We are concerned about anyone who might be stranded without access to any help," Harrison Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy told the station.

"Please realize that if you choose to remain in an area that's under a mandatory evacuation, our responders may not be able to reach you in case of a medical emergency or unexpected flooding," he added. "Please take the safest course for the duration of this storm."

[Updated 1:06 p.m. ET Tuesday] A tornado warning was issued for some areas in Southeastern Louisiana, including Orleans Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Slidell and Eden Isle, according to the National Weather Service. Southwestern Hancock County in Mississippi is also included.

[Updated 12:46 p.m. ET Tuesday] Richard Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, reminds Gulf Coast residents that despite concerns about the Isaac's winds, a storm's "water components are often the more deadly and sometimes the more damaging."

With potential storm surge of 6 to 12 feet in some areas and Isaac threatening to dump up to 20 inches of rain as it slows down over land, there is an increased threat of inland flooding in the next few days, Knabb said.

[Updated 12:38 a.m. ET Tuesday] Tropical storm-force winds are already battering areas as far out as 185 miles from Isaac's eye, including the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the National Hurricane Center says.

The storm, which is presently moving at 10 mph, is expected to slow down, which could mean bad news in some areas, as it will allow Isaac to dump heavier rains.

The hurricane center says 14 inches of rain could fall on some locales, while parts of southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle could see up to 20 inches.

[Updated 12:31 p.m. ET Tuesday] According to an updated statement from the National Hurricane Center, issued at 12:20 p.m. ET, reports from an Air Force craft indicate Isaac's winds have surpassed the 74-mph threshold necessary to classify a storm as a hurricane.

The storm remained about 160 miles southeast of New Orleans and was moving northwest at about 10 mph, according to the updated statement. The central pressure had lowered to 975 mb, slightly below the 11 a.m. ET reading of 976 mb. Lower pressure means stronger winds.

[Updated 12:26 p.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac is now a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles an hour, the National Hurricane Center says.

[Updated 12:24 p.m. ET Tuesday] In Biloxi, Mississippi, the nasty memories of destruction seven years ago is prompting many residents to evacuate, despite projections that Isaac will not be nearly as strong as Katrina.

Residents are packing up and leaving town, schools and government offices are closed until Thursday and police and emergency responders are out"in full force," according to CNN affiliate WPLG-TV. Many houses have already been boarded up, and some residents were seen sawing wood and drilling down boards over their windows, the station said.

David Wallis, who lived through Katrina, picked up his and his wife's prescriptions before leaving town. He recalled how difficult it was to obtain the most basic of goods after Katrina.

“That was a big issue last time: water and ice. There was no water and ice for days. You can do without the electricity and stuff for a few days, but gotta have that water," he told WPLG.

[Updated at 12:12 p.m. ET Tuesday] In case you missed it earlier, CNN has updated its checklist of things you should have on hand as you prepare for the storm. Also, Eatocracy has put together a story on "disaster dining," which includes tips on preparing your fridge for the storm, along with advice on how to make sure you don't run out of food, coffee or, if you're so inclined, booze.

[Updated 11:57 a.m. ET Tuesday] We have some video now of President Obama's speech earlier today, in which he warned Gulf Coast residents "not to tempt fate."

[Updated 11:43 a.m. ET Tuesday] Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Art Faulkner says the state has been preparing for Isaac for a week, and officials will be on the coast later Tuesday to make sure first responders have everything they need to keep residents safe.

[Updated 11:37 a.m. ET Tuesday] The U.S. Postal Service has suspended delivery and retail operations in about a dozen area codes in anticipation of Isaac's arrival. The USPS also announced mandatory evacuations in certain locations and instructed employees in some rural areas to report to other retail centers.

[Updated 11:14 a.m. ET Tuesday] Harrison County, Mississippi, which lies in the Gulfport/Biloxi area has put a curfew in place from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday. The county opened shelters at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

[Updated 11:10 a.m. ET Tuesday] The Army Corps of Engineers is about to close the gate to the world's largest pump station, the West Closure Complex, in New Orleans, a Corps spokesperson says. It will be the first time the flood gates have been closed since being constructed. The system was installed after Katrina.

[Updated 11:06 a.m. ET Tuesday] The National Hurricane Center says Isaac is about 165 miles southeast of New Orleans and about 80 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It is moving northwest at about 10 mph, and the storm's center is on track to hit Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday evening.

The storm should be a hurricane by then, the center says, and will slowly weaken after making landfall. As of 11 a.m. ET, the central pressure remained at 976 mb, the same as it was at 8 a.m. ET.

[Updated 11 a.m. ET Tuesday] Tropical Storm Isaac has yet to reach hurricane strength, according to the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. ET advisory. The storm has winds of about 70 mph.

[Updated 10:49 a.m. ET Tuesday] President Barack Obama called on Gulf Coast residents to prepare for Tropical Storm Isaac, which is close to hurricane status as it heads toward land.

"Now's not the time to tempt fate," he said. "Now's not the time to dismiss official warnings. You need to take this seriously."

[Updated 10:31 a.m. ET Tuesday] iReporter Eileen Romero is staying put in New Orleans for Isaac, just as she did for Katrina seven years ago. She shot several photos Monday of people boarding up their businesses and homes and said Tuesday that there were long lines at the gas stations that still had gas to sell.

Anxiety is high in the Crescent City as some prepare to stay and others attempt to evacuate, she said. The Wednesday anniversary of Katrina's landfall doesn't help.

"At the forefront of people's minds is the damage sustained during the catastrophic flooding after the levee failures following Hurricane Katrina," she said. "Talk about PTSD."

While the Corps of Engineers insists the levees are stronger than they were seven years ago, Romero has her doubts given that "inherent engineering flaws and governmental incompetence is what led to the levee failures in the first place."

Despite her lack of faith in its leaders, she loves her city, she said.

"NOLA is home, and there is no place like it in the world," she said.

[Updated 10:17 a.m. ET Tuesday] The Mississippi Gaming Commission has notified Biloxi and Gulfport casinos that they need to get gamblers off the floor within the next 45 minutes. Gaming floors should be shut down by 4 p.m. CT, the commission says.

[Updated 10:11 a.m. ET Tuesday] A Coconut Grove, Florida, man came within inches of losing his life when a decades-old Royal Poinciana crashed down on his car after suffering storm damage.

James Kaplan told CNN affiliate WSVN-TV that he was headed to work when the tree - which is estimated to be about 50 years old - hit the driver's side roof of his car, just above the windshield.

The tree smashed the windows, broke a mirror and buckled the frame of the car, but Kaplan's only apparent injuries were scratches on his left ear, even though he said the roof of the car made contact with his head.

Kaplan joked with the WSVN crew that came to his house: "I kind of thought when you were at the door with the camera at the door, it was Mercedes wanting to do a commercial."

[Updated 9:58 a.m. ET Tuesday] The New Orleans Saints have already left town ahead of their midweek preseason game, their last before the regular season begins. According to the team's website, the Saints left at 5:30 p.m. CT Monday for Cincinnati, Ohio, where they will practice Tuesday before heading to Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.

The Saints play the Tennessee Titans on Thursday evening and will depart for New Orleans following the game, the team said.

[Updated 9:38 a.m. ET Tuesday] To elaborate on the mayor's remarks, New Orleans' levees have seen $10 billion in improvements since 2005, and the pump stations have backup generators in case of power outages. One station is the biggest in the world, capable of moving 150,000 gallons of floodwater per second.

"This is the best system that the greater New Orleans area has ever seen," said Col. Ed Fleming of the Army Corps of Engineers.

[Updated 9:27 a.m. ET Tuesday] As of Tuesday morning, it was too late to evacuate New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, but many residents are expressing confidence that Isaac will not bring the destruction that Katrina's 125-mph winds wrought years ago. Plus, residents said, law and order in the city has improved.

"We're confident that the work we've done in the last few years makes us fully capable of handling this type of storm," the mayor said.

Jackie Grosch had to rebuild her home in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, but the St. Bernard Parish resident said she was going to wait Isaac out. She and her family had a generator, weather radio and life jackets on hand "just in case."

She expressed confidence in the new levees near her home.

"I don't know if it's going to be a true test because they're saying it's not going to be that bad. But you never know what bad is. We didn't think Katrina was going to be bad, either," she said.

[Updated 9:06 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac's center was located about 105 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center's last advisory at 8 a.m. ET. The central pressure was 976 mb, just slightly lower than it was at 7 a.m. ET. The lower the pressure, the stronger the winds around the eye of the storm.

The hurricane center is predicting storm surges of 6 to 12 feet in Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, 4 to 8 feet in Alabama, 3 to 6 feet in south-central Louisiana and along the Florida Panhandle and 1 to 3 feet along Florida's west coast to the Apalachee Bay.

[Updated 8:56 a.m. ET Tuesday] FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate tells CNN that the federal government is working proactively with state governors to make sure they have everything they need as Isaac approaches.

[Updated 8:44 a.m. ET Tuesday] In Lauderhill, Florida, the city is handing out sandbags to help residents protect their homes after Monday's downpours, CNN affiliate WFOR-TV in Miami reported.

“We’re in one of the unfortunate communities in Lauderhill where the water unfortunately didn’t recede and the canals are overflowing,” resident Scott Colbert told the station. “I’ve got about 3 feet left before the water comes in to my garage.”

[Updated 8:35 a.m. ET Tuesday] President Obama will deliver a statement on Tropical Storm Isaac at 10 a.m. ET from the Diplomatic Reception Room of The White House, according to his office.

[Updated 7:53 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac has yet to reach hurricane strength, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. ET advisory. The storm's maximum sustained winds were at 70 mph, just below the Category 1 hurricane speed of 74 mph.

[Updated 7:25 a.m. ET Tuesday] A survey for the motorist group AAA showed that the national price for a gallon of regular gas crept up 0.6 cent to $3.756 overnight as Gulf coast oil and refining facilities were closed in anticipation of Isaac's landfall, CNNMoney reports.

Steeper prices increases were recorded in the Gulf states preparing for the storm, with gas jumping 2.5 cents to $3.642 a gallon in Louisiana, a little more than 2 cents to $3.563 in Mississippi, and 1.3 cents to $3.581 in Alabama.

[Updated 7:09 a.m. ET Tuesday] Some inland areas could see as much as 20 inches of rain from Isaac, said Richard Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center. The storm's slow movement could make the rainfall worse and increase chances for flooding, he said.

[Updated 7:01 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac has developed an eye in the last few hours, indicating the storm is becoming more organized, and the central pressure is now down to 977 mb, which is the lowest pressure that has been recorded during Isaac’s life cycle. The latest intensity forecast indicates Isaac could become a Category 1 hurricane this afternoon with winds sustained at 80 mph.

[Updated 6:48 a.m. ET Tuesday] Isaac is threatening Louisiana agriculture, including a record corn harvest, according to the LSU AgCenter.

One third of that crop is still in the fields, said LSU AgCenter feed grain and cotton specialist John Kruse, because drought conditions have brought down Mississippi River water levels, meaning barges that transport the grain can't be fully loaded.

“Everyone was bringing in more corn than normal, and there was just nowhere to put it,” Kruse said in a press release. “So things slowed down dramatically.”

Cotton is also under threat, Kruse said in the release, with much of the crop two weeks to a month away from picking.

“This storm could really tear up our cotton crop," Kruse said.

Losses are also expected in the state's soybean and sugarcane crops, the center said.

[Updated 6:22 a.m. ET Tuesday] Tropical Storm Isaac is curtailing oil production along the Gulf of Mexico and threatening refineries, which could send gasoline prices up another 10 cents in the coming week, CNNMoney reports.

This is a very weak cat.1. But what is unusual is that they are forcasting it to slow down once it gets inland. Tropical Storms and Hurricanes usually speed up in their forward motion when they slam into a large land mass like north america and thus dissipate quickly. If Isaac slows down anymore in its forward motion, the flooding is going to be devastating.

You said " blatant name calling " yet you called Christie fat?? I believe you are upset based on the fact that Obama is a 100% failure,who if anyone,he is the one trying to "put ya back in chains" He would rather you be dependent on the goverment so he,not you,have control over your life. But go ahead and drink his crack laced Kool-aid..and believe he is the right man for thr job.

It is rare, but sometimes a hurricane can stall with its eye remaining over open water. Currently it is moving forward at a normal rate directly into land. But remember what happened far inland on the east coast last year when the eye of the storm stayed just off coast and slowed down?

Sitting here in the calm island of Maui, I am praying that people and property in the gulf be spared as much as possible. We seem to be much better prepared than for Katrina. I hope too many adventureous souls will not tempt fate and linger around to party during the storm. God spare the Gulf and our oil supplies.

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